Thanks!
Chapter Sixty:
Rossi picked Reid up in one of his classic cars. He kept the hood down. Reid embraced the cooling September air.
"How're you feeling son?" Rossi asked.
"I think content."
"I like that answer."
Rossi merged onto the highway. It was on a stretch of road like this that Reid was blitz-attacked. He was prepared though, as his therapists had taken him on highways before. Learning to overcome fear was a major achievement for him.
"You know you're welcome to stay as long as you like. No eviction deadline here."
"So much has changed," Reid said thoughtfully. "New president, a pandemic, inflation among about fifty-three other major things."
"Don't list them. The ride isn't that long."
Reid smiled.
"Yet some things don't."
"I'm so proud of you Spencer. You survived the impossible more times than any person should. You're alive and back."
"Do you think I could have applied for re-certification?"
"I think I would have pulled strings if you asked."
"I wouldn't have been able to trust myself in the field. Even at a police station, the level of chaos would have been too much. My presence would also distract the media."
"Spencer, I have always thought you could accomplish anything you put your mind to. Like the rest of the team, I'm happy so long as you're happy."
"A big part of me didn't want to leave."
"We would have accepted that too, even if it broke our hearts a little."
"Thank you, David. Thank you and everyone else for being there for me, even when I didn't want to be here. Thank you!"
"If you start crying, I will too, and we still have a couple of miles to go."
"How's your latest book with Simmons going?"
"Well. You learn from the mistakes you made with the first. It should be smoother-going this time around."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"If you ever want to write, say the word and I'll help."
"Maybe in the future. I'm too much of a tree in a forest right now."
"How about you and Nadia?"
"Nadia and I are taking it slow. She isn't as comfortable with her body compared to the other women I've known. I know what that's like and I am fine with that."
"You've also got an ambitious plan to start classes in two years. Is there any chance I can change your mind about the order of the names?"
"Seventy percent of the people I have spoken with, think calling it the CBD school will positively raise its profile."
Ross huffed. "Majority rules."
They arrived in Rossi's driveway.
"No party, as requested," Rossi said.
Most of his stuff had been moved in earlier. Reid pulled a duffel bag out of the backseat.
Rossi and Reid entered.
"Home sweet home," Rossi said.
"You've upgraded your security since I was last here."
"A little paranoia isn't a bad thing."
"Agreed."
Krystal appeared.
"I know you didn't want a party. But I baked a cake. I hope you like chocolate mousse cake."
"It sounds amazing."
"Great for my diet," Rossi grumbled.
"You can indulge this one time," Crystal said.
"I miss my pasta," Rossi said.
"I'm going to go settle in," Reid said.
"Dinner is as six," David said. "Low-sodium puttanesca."
"It still sounds delicious."
Reid entered his room. It wasn't decorated as he wasn't planning on staying beyond the first of the year. A couple of the books he wanted to read were on shelves and that was enough.
Reid laid on his bed and smiled. This was contentment.
…
Bruce and Nadia met Reid at an office complex in downtown Baltimore.
"It's nicer than my apartment complex," Nadia said. "Though most things are."
"I told you to get out of that shithole," Bruce said.
"I can't get out of my lease until the end of the year."
Reid looked at the gray color scheme. "I'm willing to invest in a couple of cans of paint if the office is like this."
"I don't see any rats," Bruce said. "Good sign."
Reid unlocked the door. All the furnishings were chipped and dusty. The same gray paint outside was on the inside as well.
"Like the stupid troll song," Nadia said. "It's a little bit of a fixer-upper."
"I hated that song," Bruce said. "Which is why my girls sing it at me constantly."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Reid said.
They walked into the executive office.
"You've got a nice view," Nadia said.
There was the sound of shouting.
"WHO WANTS A FIFTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD-HAG!? YOU'RE UNHIRABLE!"
"Sounds like my neighbors," Nadia grumbled.
"Let's go introduce ourselves," Reid said.
Reid led them back outside. Their lone neighbor was a temp agency.
"Is this wise?" Bruce asked.
"I don't care," Reid said and knocked.
Reid could hear a woman crying.
A man with a massive gray mustache stared him down.
"What do you want!?"
"I'm your new neighbor. If I hear you yelling like that regularly, I'll report you to the better business bureau."
"Who do you think you are to threaten me?" he said in a menacing tone.
"Someone who has faced down people far worse than you. Keep the yelling down, and we'll be fine."
Reid stared the man down with a ferocious intensity. The man broke away first.
"Get out," he grumbled.
An older woman with short gray hair in a tattered black suit appeared. She looked embarrassed as she left.
The man shut the door with a thud, just short of being a slam.
Nadia stopped the woman.
"Hey!" she said.
"Don't make this more humiliating," she said.
"That was a temp agency, right? What were you applying for?"
"Secretarial work," she muttered.
Nadia pulled out their brand-new business cards.
"Call in about two weeks, we'll be hiring then."
"And what do you do?" she asked.
"We're in the planning process of developing a school," Reid said. "I'd love for you to apply."
The woman locked eyes with him.
"You've known suffering."
"And monsters and no one deserves to be terrorized by them."
"I don't know if I'll get the job, but thank you. Thank you for being my hero today."
"Call back in two weeks."
The woman smiled and left.
"Who says not being a fed meant you were out of the cape business," Nadia said.
"Never," Reid said. "We're all heroes to someone."
"If this is the DC trinity, I claim Batman," Bruce said. "I don't care if there is an Else Worlds black Superman. Everyone knows Batman is cooler. My name is Bruce."
"I'm fine with Wonder Woman," Nadia said.
"We've got a lot of work to do still," Reid said. "Let's start."
"Yes Clark," Bruce said.